After working with the likes of Drake, SBTRKT, Kanye West, Frank Ocean, and most recently Solange on "Don't Touch My Hair", Sampha Sisay is a name that has been on our radar for the last few years—and for good reason. It's safe to say that with all those collaborations and co-signs comes a mean feat for any artist looking to step out on their own. But on the night of October 12, the London-based artist did just that, taking the stage for the first time as a solo act, with a full live band in the intimate setting of Elephant & Castle's Corsica Studios.
Support on the night came from Kelsey Lu, a member of Sampha's band whose ethereal vocals have already caught the attention of many with her Church EP on True Panther and collaboration with Dev Hynes on his recent album Freetown Sound. Lu, as she prefers to be called, is arresting in her performance. The entire crowd is immersed in her sound; her voice haunting and sombre yet somehow warm and dreamlike, as she asks the audience with a smile: "Have you ever had your heart broken?" Her performance ends with huge applause from the small crowd of 300, and there are gasps of surprise when she appears on-stage again shortly after with the rest of Sampha's band.
Sampha kicks things off with his piano-led "Plastic 100°C", enchanting the audience with his riffs—which are even more impressive in real life. The uniqueness of his tone places him as an artist who doesn't necessarily fit into any one genre, and as the second and third track come in, including "Incomplete Kisses", which is introduced as a new song, it's clear that the upcoming album is much more than Sampha just sat at a piano. The production is complex, full of life, and when performed live by his band, the energy in the room is undeniable. A highlight of the night is "Blood On Me", the first track the singer released from his hotly-anticipated debut album, Process, soon out on Young Turks.
Sampha and his band pause for something of an impromptu instrumental jam before he returns with the chorus, and the whole crowd is alive as the layered percussion fills the tightly-packed room with an electric atmosphere. After this show, it's even more clear that Sampha is undoubtedly more than just a one-trick pony; he's an all-round artist to be reckoned with, and one that we can be proud of here in the UK to deliver timeless music that sounds like nothing we've heard before.
